Korean Terms Used In “Squid Game” Added To The English Dictionary

On December 7, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) announced the addition of seven new words based on Korean culture.

The seven new words added included dalgona, hyung, noraebang, maknae, jjigae, tteokbokki, and pansori.

In 2021, 26 words were added to the dictionary, including K-Drama, hallyu, mukbang, and daebak.

Professor Cho Ji Eun, a Korean consultant for the OED stated, “Dalgona, which appears in the Netflix series Squid Game’ and other Korean food words are well-known through K-Dramas, making them acceptable for dictionary registration. We are also preparing to register honorifics such as ‘hyung’ and ‘maknae’.”

The British Ministry of Education also began a joint study on the Korean language. They found that while the number of students choosing other European languages decreased, the number of people learning Korean increased.

The OED shows just how much influence K-culture has on the world, as it is known to select English words that English speakers frequently use.

Aside from Korean words, Squid Game also had fans around the world starting challenges with the games from the show, including the dalgona challenge and the gonggi challenge!

@grace_the_cookist Finally tried the Squid Game Dalgona game!😂😍 #squidgame #squidgamecandy #squidgameseason2 #dalgona #dalgonacandy #squidgamedalgona ♬ original sound – Grace The Cookist✨

@a.denx 🤯 survival rate 100% #squidgame #gonggi #공기 #koreangame ♬ original sound – Netflix Philippines

With the global popularity of the show, fans cannot wait for season three!